Crooked House Page #3

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It's a simple question.

What do you mean?

What does he mean?

Perhaps we could continue this

at a later date?

Do you know what I'd like to do?

I'd like to strangle

that woman with my bare hands.

He doesn't know

what he's talking about.

He hasn't had time to adjust.

She's a gold digger.

First to last.

And she poisoned

a defenseless old man!

Your husband

has a very sharp temper.

Oh, he'd never hurt a fly.

Loving your father

is quite natural, of course.

But this borders on idolatry.

Being the favorite child

isn't all jam.

Ooh, let me give you a hand.

No, no.

Please.

I like to keep busy.

Especially now that the children

really don't need me anymore.

Or not for much longer.

That's the destiny of a nanny,

I suppose.

Are you the only member

of staff employed here?

Yeah. Pretty much me and cook

just now.

Because of

Mr. Leonides' death.

They want to keep the house

quiet and private.

But the servants here

usually come and go anyway.

Who's that with Sophia?

Sorry.

That's Mr. brown, sir.

The children's tutor.

Ah.

Go gentle

with Mrs. Leonides.

She's not as tough as the rest.

May I come in?

Why, you're not

what I expected at all.

What have they all been saying

about me?

All of them down there?

Don't worry, I can guess.

Beasts.

So, what if I'm 37?

We married for love.

So, what's wrong with that?

They were born rich.

So they think

no one else is good enough.

How did you

and your husband meet?

I was a dancer in Las Vegas.

Yes. Heh.

He had some business there.

One day he walked

into the casino

where I was working.

And he saw me crying.

Please...

...don't think that crying

is my natural state.

No.

But I had gotten

into some trouble,

like a dreadful

little servant girl.

You mean pregnant?

I was tired of men.

I wanted a home.

I dreamed of someone nice

who would make a fuss over me.

Then he said, "sit down.

Tell me what's wrong."

I said, "I can't",

I'll get sacked

for sitting with a customer."

Then he said, "no, you won't.

I own the place."

Your husband owned a casino

in Las Vegas?

Well,

it wasn't public knowledge.

He was more

of a silent partner, you know.

Your arrival here

must have caused quite a stir.

I vowed I would be

a really good wife, and I was.

But we could never get rid

of that family of his.

Always coming and sponging

and living in his pocket.

And what about the baby?

Turns out

there wasn't one after all.

It was all a mistake.

Did your husband have

any evening routines or...?

Well,

he liked a bit of television.

He would come in here,

this was his chair.

Sometimes I would put on music,

and he would watch me dance.

He liked that a lot.

Some evenings

he worked straight through

with Mr. brown,

the kids' tutor.

They got along well.

What were they working on?

Aristide was writing

his memoirs.

Ah.

Now, I have a delicate question

for you, Mrs. Leonides.

I wish you'd call me Brenda.

Um, the Insulin...

Yes?

Did your husband inject himself?

Yes, but that night...

I did it.

He asked me to do it.

He was tired, he said,

and he asked me to.

All right.

Nanny says some of the family

suspect poison killed him.

Yes.

It is a possibility.

You see?

I killed him.

The police will find

my fingerprints

on the bottle and the syringe.

But the bottle said Insulin,

not poison.

And if I was the murderer

I would have wiped them off,

wouldn't I?

Wouldn't I?

Sir.

Sit.

Do you know this woman?

Yes, Sophia de Haviland.

She works at Sotheby's.

She doesn't let anyone

near her. But rumor has it

that you two get along well.

Do you know who this man is?

It's Aristide Leonides.

Well, this woman's real name

is Sophia Leonides.

His granddaughter.

I guess she forgot

to mention that, didn't she?

You see, we know for a fact

that Leonides was in bed

with the CIA

since the Greek civil war.

And we don't know why.

And considering

all that's going on

in this country at the moment,

we want to make sure

that her presence here,

and the fact that she's hiding

her true identity,

are just coincidence.

I'm sure

there's a good reason why--

Look...

You're bored to death

in the embassy,

and you want to work

in intelligence, is that right?

Yes.

Then consider her your way in.

No, no, no...

I've been looking for you.

What are you doing here?

This is Mr.--

- Aristide Leonides' study,

I know.

What are you doing here?

Mr. Leonides gave me

access to it.

I can see that.

So you're this

private investigator

and you want to question me?

Yes.

I haven't met Eustace yet.

What can you tell me about him?

He's what they call now

a teenager.

Rebellious. Angry.

Despises authority.

Loves rock 'n' roll.

Thinks for himself too,

which is quite an achievement

in this house.

And he doesn't like

being tutored at home.

So why is he?

The reason

Mr. Leonides gave

was his childhood palsy.

He would be bullied

for his limp.

But you don't think so?

Mr. Leonides

was really controlling.

You were helping him

with his memoirs?

Yes, Th--

That's highly confidential.

Were you working with him

that night?

Yes, we worked late.

Several interruptions.

Visitors?

Yes.

Roger first and then Magda.

Do you know what they wanted?

Well, neither of them

are especially discreet.

Roger was in some sort

of crisis about the business,

and Magda wanted Mr. Leonides

to finance her film.

Ah, exposure.

Did he agree to it?

No.

She does plays that no one sees.

And her husband writes books

that no one reads.

What do these people know

about the real world anyway?

Anyone else visit that night?

Sophia.

She's a little more discreet

than the others.

That's the house

where Mr. Leonides was born.

I'd like to see a copy

of the memoirs.

There's only the original.

Then the original

it will have to be.

It's gone missing.

There's only one thing for you.

Does your tortoise have a name?

Salome. Mommy did a play

called Salome.

It wasn't a great success,

I'm afraid.

Salome danced before king Herod.

And he liked it so much

he said that she could have

whatever she wanted.

Are you done

with your interrogation?

Mm. For today.

Did you find many clues?

You know, Josephine,

the first round of interrogation

is not so much

about finding clues,

as it is about getting a sense

of who you're dealing with.

You're lucky you're able

to talk to them.

As a family, we don't

actually talk that much.

Except Magda, of course.

But all she speaks about

is herself.

It must be very sad for you

to lose your grandfather.

Not really.

I didn't like him.

He stopped me from being

a ballet dancer.

He said I'd be no good.

And I really love ballet.

Sorry to hear that.

Josephine, what can you tell me

about Mr. brown?

Laurence is having an affair

with Brenda.

They write letters

to each other.

They're awfully soppy.

Laurence is soppy.

How do you know this?

"Oh, my darling,

I need you more than the air

that I breathe."

You're making this up,

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